Mobile charging stations have cropped up across urban centers and in high-traffic locations in recent years, a convenient resource for reviving dying phone batteries, but the FBI is issuing a new warning against using the hubs.
The agency cited "bad actors" looking to prey on unsuspecting targets by compromising USB ports on the charging hubs to infect plugged-in devices with malware and monitoring software.
"Carry your own charger and USB cord and use an electrical outlet instead," the FBI said in a tweet.
The agency's warning isn't the first issued to the general public about the potential hazards of public charging stations. In 2021, the FCC issued a "juice jacking" warning as one of the newest cyber-theft tactics.
"Cybersecurity experts have warned that criminals can load malware onto public USB charging stations to maliciously access electronic devices while they are being charged. Malware installed through a dirty USB port can lock a device or export personal data and passwords directly to the perpetrator," the FCC said at the time.
Snapchat has announced new measures and policies like features including restrictions on friend suggestions and a new system to remove age-inappropriate content.
Google will soon require that political ads using artificial intelligence be accompanied by a prominent disclosure if imagery or sounds have been synthetically altered.
Most major car brands admit they may be selling your personal data — though they are vague on the buyers, and half say they would share it with the government or law enforcement without a court order.
United Airlines said Tuesday it repaired a technology glitch that had forced it to halt departures nationwide, briefly crippling one of the nation's biggest carriers on a busy travel day.
The top prosecutors in all 50 states are urging Congress to study how artificial intelligence can be used to exploit children through pornography, and come up with legislation to further guard against it.
